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Cinematronics
Cinematronics Incorporated was an arcade game developer that primarily released vector graphics games in the late 1970s and early 1980s. While other companies released games based on raster displays, early in their history, Cinematronics and Atari, Inc. released vector-display games, which offered a distinctive look and a greater graphic capability (at the time), at the cost of being only black and white (initially). Cinematronics also published '' Dragon's Lair'' in 1983, the first major LaserDisc video game. Beginnings Cinematronics Inc. was founded in 1975 by San Diego Chargers football players Dennis Partee and Gary Garrison in Kearny Mesa, California. Soon after, they brought in a third partner named Jim Pierce to manage the company's day-to-day operations. Cinematronics' first games, a '' Pong'' clone, a ''Flipper Ball'' copy and their first original game design, ''Embargo'', were released in 1975, 1976, and 1977, but they were not particularly notable. In 1977, Pier ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Space Wars
''Space Wars'' is a shooter video game released in arcades by Cinematronics in 1977. Like the PDP-1 program ''Spacewar!'' (1962) it is based on, it uses black and white vector graphics for the visuals. The hardware developed for ''Space Wars'' became the platform for most of the vector-based arcade games from Cinematronics. It was distributed in Japan by Taito in 1978, and a Vectrex port was published in 1982. Gameplay Two players controlled different ships. One button rotated ship left, another rotated the ship right, one engaged thrust, one fired a shell, and one entered hyperspace (which causes the ship to disappear and reappear elsewhere on the playfield at random). The game offered a number of gameplay options, including the presence or absence of a star in the middle of the playfield (which exerted a positive or negative gravitational pull), whether the edges of the playfield wrapped around to their opposite sides, and whether shells bounced. The game had three parti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sundance (arcade Game)
''Sundance'' is a puzzle arcade video game using vector graphics released by Cinematronics in 1979. The game consists of two grids floating in a pseudo-3D space with small suns bouncing between them. Gameplay The player scores points by opening a hole in the grid to capture the suns as they danced/bounced. The player can shoot a nova from an open hole, thereby saving time by not having to wait for the sun to bounce into the hole. If the nova misses the sun, it bounces between grids until it is swallowed up into an open hole. There can only be one nova on the screen at any given time. As the suns bounced, the grids moves closer and closer, making gameplay more difficult. The game ends when the grids fully converged. Release The game had only a small production run and was plagued with hardware failures due to its unconventional design. According to Tim Skelly, the game's designer, ''Sundance'' used an additional daughterboard In computing, an expansion card (also ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dragon's Lair (1983 Video Game)
''Dragon's Lair'' is an interactive film LaserDisc video game developed by Advanced Microcomputer Systems and published by Cinematronics in 1983, as the first game in the ''Dragon's Lair'' series. In the game, the protagonist Dirk the Daring is a knight attempting to rescue Princess Daphne from the evil dragon Singe who has locked the princess in the foul wizard Mordroc's castle. It featured animation by ex-Disney animator Don Bluth. Most other games of the era represented the character as a sprite, which consisted of a series of pixels displayed in succession. Due to hardware limitations of the era, artists were greatly restricted in the detail they could achieve using that technique; the resolution, framerate and number of frames were severely constrained. ''Dragon's Lair'' overcame those limitations by tapping into the vast storage potential of the LaserDisc, but imposed other limitations on the actual gameplay. The success of the game sparked numerous home ports, sequels and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vectorbeam
Vectorbeam was an arcade game manufacturer active in the late 1970s who specialized in vector graphics-based arcade games. It was formed after splitting off from its primary competitor, Cinematronics, and disappeared after re-merging with them soon after. Vectorbeam was founded by Larry Rosenthal based on his graduate work from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and which he patented for a custom arcade vector display. Vectorbeam was in direct competition with other arcade game manufacturers. The company ceased operations soon after poor sales of its ''Barrier'' arcade game, and sold its assets to Cinematronics. List of Vectorbeam games * ''Space War'' (arcade game) (1977) * ''Barrier'' (1979) * ''Speed Freak'' (arcade game) (1979) * ''Tail Gunner A tail gunner or rear gunner is a crewman on a military aircraft who functions as a gunner defending against enemy fighter or interceptor attacks from the rear, or "tail", of the plane. The tail gunner operates a fle ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Star Castle
''Star Castle'' is a vector graphics multidirectional shooter released in arcades by Cinematronics in 1980. The game involves obliterating a series of defenses orbiting a stationary turret in the center of the screen. The display is black and white with the colors of the rings and screen provided by a transparent plastic screen overlay. ''Star Castle'' was designed by Tim Skelly and programmed by Scott Boden. Skelly created a number of other Cinematronics vector games, including ''Starhawk'', '' Armor Attack'', and ''Rip-Off''. A Vectrex port of ''Star Castle'' for was released in 1983. Gameplay The object of ''Star Castle'' is to destroy an enemy cannon which sits in the center of three concentric, rotating energy shield rings while avoiding or destroying "mines"–enemies that spawn from the core, pass through the energy rings, and then home in on the player's ship. The player-controlled spaceship can rotate, thrust forward, and fire small projectiles. The cannon's sh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Armor Attack
''Armor Attack'' is multidirectional shooter designed by Tim Skelly and released in arcades by Cinematronics in 1980. It was licensed to Sega in Japan. The vector graphics of ''Armor Attack'' present combat between the player's jeep and enemy vehicles in an overhead, maze-like view of a town. The buildings are not drawn in the game, but are an overlay that sits on top of the monitor. The overlay also tints the vectors green. ''Armor Attack'' was released for the Vectrex in 1982. Gameplay One button rotates the jeep clockwise, while a second button rotates counterclockwise. A third button simulates the gas pedal and moves the jeep forward. A fourth button is used for firing a rocket launcher that shoots straight ahead. The player can have two rockets in the air at a time. Tanks periodically spawn from different locations on the edge of the screen and drive towards the player. The tanks always travel along horizontal or vertical lines, unlike the freely moving jeep. Tank ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Starhawk (arcade Game)
''Starhawk'' is a 1979 vector arcade game designed and programmed by Tim Skelly and manufactured by Cinematronics. ''Starhawk'' is a shoot 'em up unofficially based on the '' Star Wars: Episode IV'' trench run, one of the first arcade games to blatantly use concepts from ''Star Wars''. The game was unique at the time for its pseudo-3D graphics. It was distributed in Japan by Sega, and was later ported for the Vectrex home system in 1982. The arcade cabinet had a cinder block placed inside of it, to prevent it from tipping onto the player. Plot According to the Vectrex manual, the story involves "protecting your comrades from alien ships trying to infiltrate your culture" and "defending the sovereignty of your planet." Gameplay Various ships, reminiscent of TIE fighters, appear on the horizon of the trench and the player has to shoot them before they destroy the player's ship. The player is given initially sixty seconds, but additional twenty seconds is awarded for every 10,000 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leland Corporation
The Leland Corporation was a manufacturer of several arcade video games in the 1980s and early 1990s. The company was formed when Tradewest purchased the ailing Cinematronics in 1987. Notable among these were Quarterback (1987) and John Elway's Quarterback (1989), '' Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp'' (1991), and ''Ivan 'Ironman' Stewart's Super Off Road'', which spawned an expansion and two sequels at Leland's successor company Midway Games (''Off Road Challenge'' and '' Offroad Thunder''). John Rowe, (co-founder and President of Tradewest) became the President of the new Leland Corporation and guided the reorganization and technology evolution which led to a number of popular video games which were positioned to transition into the new market of home systems including the NES, Game Boy and Sega Genesis. During the early 1990s, they developed home console titles under the brand name Leland Interactive Media. Leland was itself purchased in 1994 by WMS Industries WMS Industrie ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Warrior (arcade Game)
''Warrior'' is a 1979 arcade fighting game. It is considered one of the first fighting games,"The Making of... Warrior". (December 2006) ''Edge Magazine'' 169, pp. 101-103 excepting several boxing games such as ''Heavyweight Champ'', released in 1976, and Atari's unreleased ''Boxer'' (which was cloned as 1980's ''Boxing'' for the Atari 2600). Developed by Tim Skelly while working at Cinematronics, it was released under the Vectorbeam company name shortly before Cinematronics closed Vectorbeam down; they had purchased the company in 1978. The game featured two dueling knights rendered in monochrome vector graphics and based on crude motion capture techniques. Due to the limitations of the hardware used, the processor could not render the characters and gaming environment at the same time and backgrounds were printed, with the characters projected on the top. Controls Originally Skelly planned for a two-player system with each player using two joysticks, one to control the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gary Garrison
Gary Lynn Garrison (born January 21, 1944 in Amarillo, Texas) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL). He attended San Diego State University from 1964 to 1965. His 26 touchdown receptions are still a career school record. He began his pro football career with the San Diego Chargers and played 11 seasons (1966–1976) for them in the AFL and NFL, as well as one year (1977) with the Houston Oilers. He was a four-time Pro Bowler, including a year as AFL All-Star with the Chargers in 1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Janu .... In 1975, he co-founded the coin-operated video game manufacturer Cinematronics with teammate Dennis Partee. References ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tradewest
Tradewest was an American video game company based in Corsicana, Texas that produced numerous games in the 1980s and early 1990s. The company was the publisher of the '' Battletoads'' and '' Double Dragon'' series in North America and the PAL region. The name was revived in August 2009 by Midway Games's former European subsidiaries which rebranded themselves as Tradewest. They inherited the name from the American parent company which had owned the Tradewest trademark since 1996. History Original company Tradewest was founded in 1985 by Leland Cook, his son Byron Cook, and John Rowe. Tradewest started out by manufacturing SNK's '' Alpha Mission'' arcade game in the United States, followed by '' Ikari Warriors'' and '' Victory Road'' before shifting away from the coin-op arcade game business to concentrate on the video game console, home console market. In 1987, Tradewest purchased Cinematronics, a video game developer and manufacturer based in El Cajon, California, whose previ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
LaserDisc
The LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium, initially licensed, sold and marketed as MCA DiscoVision (also known simply as "DiscoVision") in the United States in 1978. Its diameter typically spans . Unlike most optical disc standards, LaserDisc is not fully digital, and instead requires the use of analog video signals. Although the format was capable of offering higher-quality video and audio than its consumer rivals— VHS and Betamax videotape—LaserDisc never managed to gain widespread use in North America, largely due to high costs for the players and the inability to record TV programmes. It eventually did gain some traction in that region and became somewhat popular in the 1990s. It was not a popular format in Europe and Australia. By contrast, the format was much more popular in Japan and in the more affluent regions of Southeast Asia, such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia, and was the prevalent rental video me ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
